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Combination Aids Depressed Youths

Combining drugs with talk therapy works best in treating depressed adolescents, the first large study of its kind has found. The results reflect what studies of adults have found: that treating the disease requires more than relying on pills for a quick fix.

Although the study found that psychotherapy combined with Prozac works better than either method alone in treating adolescent depression, including reducing suicidal thoughts, it did not resolve questions about potential links between some antidepressants and suicidal thoughts and behavior in children.

A co-author of the study, John Curry of Duke University, said the number of patients who exhibited suicidal tendencies -- 24 out of 439 -- was too small to determine whether there were truly differences among the treatments studied.

Over all, 71 percent of patients on the combined treatment had scores showing substantial improvement on a depression rating scale. The combined treatment involved Prozac along with a form of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches problem-solving skills and ways to refocus negative thoughts and behaviors.

By contrast, significant improvement was seen in 61 percent of those taking Prozac alone, 43 percent of those who only received behavior therapy, and 35 percent of patients on dummy pills.

The study, led by Dr. John March of Duke, is reported in Wednesday's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.